The Mirror's Creed
by Fulcon
Summary: Altair is summoned from Masyaff for one purpose: To Shatter the Mirror. Crossover with Assassin's Creed. Rich with political theology as whe look at Mirror's Edge's political and Economic climate...and Altair's role in screwing the whole thing up.


_I don't own Mirror's Edge or Assassin's Creed. If I did, they never would've been published or made the game status that those to have made today. :P _

* * *

"Morning sunshine." Said a teenage boy. The Boy had brown hair and hazel eyes, with a dark jacket zipped up, one would've thought it was chilly, except it was 103 degree's outside. His face was a little round, with an angular nose. His eyes were evenly spaced from each other, and his eyebrows were low, almost touching his eyes when they weren't raised. "C'mon…wake up, I don't have all day."

He was standing over and talking too the unconscious form of Altair ibn La-Ahad, whose traditional garb of white robes and leather armor were replaced with a white hoody and blue jeans. The only part of the wardrobe that would actually be _familiar_ to the Assassin would be the wrist blade…and said blade was replaced by something much sharper. Altair was now just waking up, his brown eyes slowly opening.

"Uggghhh…my head…" It was then that Altair looked at his hands…and then the rest of his body. "What…what happened to me? Where am I?"

He looked around the room, which was bare of any and everything. It was just a room, dark grey walls and a door at the wall…and a teenage boy standing over him. Snapping his familiar blade out, he grabbed the boy by the shoulder and put the blade to his throat. "Who are you and why am I here?"

The boy didn't seem at all frightened by Altair's assault…rather, he just seemed irritated. "Relax, will you? I'll send you back home after you're done. I have a job for you. Now let go of me so I can explain to you what that is…"

Altair was speechless as he released the boy. Altair's blade had caused grown men to wet themselves…if they lived that long, that is…but here, this boy was simply irritated. _Irritated_.

"C'mon, you've got work to do." The boy opened the door, and exited, vanishing in a bright light from the out-side world.

Altair was a little busy fuming to follow. How dare this boy treat _him_, _Altair ibn La-Ahad_ with such disrespect! It was unthinkable that any one could act like that if they knew who he was.

"Altair, we don't have all day." The boy called from the other side of the door. "Do you need help opening the door?"

Altair huffed, and turned the knob. _This boy is going to need to learn…by __**Allah**__…_

What he saw was an urban skyline. The buildings were very tall, taller than Altair had ever seen before. Below on the streets, blocks of bright yellow colors on wheels moved, with no horse or anything to pull them. People moved on stone walks on the side of the buildings.

"What do you think?" The boy asked, looking out at the impossible site a look of boredom on his face.

"What is it?" Altair asked, his mouth agape.

"On the surface…Utopia." He replied. "But underneath that, is something far worse."

"Why am I here?" Altair asked, turning to him.

"I'll explain on the way." The boy answered, turning around, and going through another door.

Altair followed closely, almost afraid of getting lost.

"I'm Slicer, by the way." He introduced himself, going down a flight of stairs. "And I brought you here because I want to take the whole thing apart, and I want you to help me."

"Why?" Altair asked. He was honestly confused: A teenager rarely pays attention to anything of importance…but then a teenager don't bring Arabian assassin's to an alien city, either…

"Because…" There he went through another door, keeping it open for Altair this time. They were on ground level now. Altair took careful examination of his surroundings, looking at the moving blocks…the way people dressed. It was so different than how people…infidels and citizens alike from Arabia. So…colorful. They dressed in all manners of primary colors…most outfits clashed horribly…others, not so bad. "The government is corrupt. Walk with me."

"Even if the government is corrupt, why do you care?" Altair asked, exasperated. "And why did you have to bring _me_ here?"

"I care that the government is corrupt, because a corrupt government abuses the people. And this government abuses people _big-time_." Slicer replied, stopping on the corner of the walk and began waiting. The moving blocks were moving in their way. "I have a plan to take it apart and you are a large figure in that plan."

"What part do I play?" Altair was at a loss for anything else. He almost got left behind as Slicer moved forward at some unknown cue.

"You're an Assassin. The leaders need to die before the place can fall apart. Do the math-watch out for the car." Slicer added that last part as Altair had stayed off the side walk and was about to get run over. He jumped onto the side-walk as a block was about to run him over.

_They're called cars, then? I'll have to remember that, then._ Altair thought as he did so. "Oh, really? How do you expect me to do _that_ when I don't even know where I am, how the people act or who my marks are? When I don't know anything about this alien city or where I am?"

"Relax; I'll help you out…see the light's up there?" Slicer pointed to a series of lamps that were strung up between two tall polls. "Those are street lights. When they're green, cars are free to go the speed limit. When it's yellow, cars are supposed to slow down, when red, they stop."

_How do the lights change like that?_ Altair wondered.

"And you see that?" Slicer pointed to a square box that was sticking out of the poles. "They tell you when it's safe to cross."

The light in the box changed from a walking person to a red hand as he did, telling when it was safe to cross. _I'll have to remember that too_.

A few minutes passed as the two walked, Altair asking questions as they walked and Slicer answering. He lost his patience a few times, but quickly regained it. The longest response he got was about the government that had piqued Slicer's interest. "This government…censures the people, and denies them a voice. You've never had the ability to say whatever you like about your ruling power out in the open before, as far as I know, but these people had it, and so much more… and they lost it when they caved into this government that promised them _everything_. In return, they simply wanted their blind and silent obedience. They got it. And now we're going to return the power to the people…weather they want it or not."

"Why do you care? Do you live here? I would think not since you had the power to summon me here…" Altair asked sharply as they took a turn. This got a laugh from Slicer.

"This government is a model. Something I'm going to use to…prove a point to a friend." Slicer said the last part vaguely. It was enough for Altair, however.

"So this is about settling a petty argument, then?" Altair asked, losing a bit of what little respect for Slicer he had.

"In a nutshell, yes." Slicer was grinning now. "But though my reasons are less than noble, what we're going to do for the people here more than make up for it."

"You mean what _I'm_ going to do."

"No, _we're_ going to do. Someone has to pick up the pieces when you're done breaking the mirror." The two were now in an alley way, deserted, but cleaner than Altair had ever seen an alley be. On either side were building with metallic railings and boxes sitting outside windows. "As you can see, scaling buildings is a little easier than it was in Jerusalem."

_Breaking a mirror, huh?_ Altair thought as he followed Slicer up one of the ladders. _That's a very interesting way of putting it._

"So what's the argument about…how did it start?" Altair asked, climbing up another ladder.

"Where…I come from, we choose our leaders every four years or so." Slicer responded. "I'm on one side, she's on another. I'm trying to prove my side the better choice."

"I've never heard of being able to choose your leaders…" Altair was actually a little shocked at the idea…and a little intrigued.

"It's a concept that won't come around until…2-3 hundred years…maybe 4 or 5 after your time, I think." Slicer and Altair were now on top of the building. Slicer was looking out at the other sets of buildings.

There were people jumping and swinging from individual roofs and poles…they were sliding down cranes and ramps, coming perilously close at times to slipping and falling down the buildings, which were 6-7 stories high, but they didn't. Instead, they stopped and went in another direction, or used the momentum to jump to another rooftop. If they were exceptionally high and they were about to land, they somersaulted…never losing their momentum.

Altair noticed them as well.

"Who are they?" Altair asked, gesturing to the acrobats.

"_They_ are the Runners." Slicer replied. There seemed to be a trace amount of annoyance in his voice. "They're information couriers…since main channels of information transfer are watched by the government (such as e-mail, cell phones), it's hard to coordinate a rebellion…so the various groups higher runner to traffic info to their various out-posts."

_Runners, huh? _Altair took note of a runner in particular, who was wearing a black tank top and grey-white parachute pants with red shoes, from what he could see. She had short, black hair, and was running across a long, metallic beam in a fashion that Altair judged rather un-professional: Standing up and using out-stretched arms to walk across, rather than using bended legs and knees to quickly shuffle across.

He sighed and shook his head. _Everyone_ he knew seemed to do it that way. His way was much faster…why no one copied him and did the same thing was beyond him.

"They can fight…sometimes. One at a time, a few more if the opponents are unarmed or they don't try to actually use their rifles." Slicer continued, not noticing Altair's distanced expression. "Running is all they really do, though. They don't actually belong to a specific rebel faction, from what I understand and they ship info to whoever will pay…from what I understand. I could be completely wrong, though…ah, good. They're leaving."

The 'Runners' began to file out, one after another, jumping to another roof, then disappearing.

"Okay, you see the training ground down there? I want you to run it for me to give me a good idea of how good you are _really_ at moving." Slicer pointed to the series of jumbled roof-tops. "Because even though I _think_ you're the best, I need to be sure."

"Okay…" Altair agreed, then asked; "How do I get there?"

"Climb down to that fire escape down there…" Slicer pointed directly down at the metallic box-cage down below. "And then jump to the one on the opposite side and climb up. That should be simple enough…"

"Indeed." Altair began climbing down the bricks, using the window frames as hand-holds. When he got down to the fire escape, he turned around and jumped up to the edge of the bars, and jumped away…similar to how he used to leap from one beam to another…or from one end of a poll to another.

He landed the leap on the other side, and jumped up to the window frame, and continued climbing until he got to the roof top. He was on a roof top, pure and blank…nothing to really do here…_what am I supposed to do now?_

"Okay!" Somehow…_somehow_, Slicer was now right behind Altair. "What I want you to do here is I want you to run down the roof top and jump to the next one from the ramp on that side."

"Wha-what…" Altair was a little shocked. "How'd you get over here?"

"I jumped." Slicer shrugged.

_Wai-bu-he-how…what? He _jumped_? If he can do _that_…than what does he need _me_ for?_ Altair wondered, as he began running down the roof top. Doing as he was told, he ran to the edge of the ramp and jumped. He took note of everything…the taste of the air as it rushed past him, the look of the building as he jumped to it…the next possible destination…everything.

He hit the ground solidly and took off running, sliding under a vent that stuck itself out from the ground and ran down a metal staircase to the next building. _This is crazy. Insane. One moment, I'm planning the hunt for the next Piece of Eden, next moment I'm here. I mean, come on: If he can bring someone to the word (and not in the traditional way either…I don't think. That would be disgusting if that was the case…) then he can sure as well take someone out. So why does he need me for...? Would it do any good to ask him?_

After jumping from the final flight of stairs to the roof-top, he saw another ramp sticking out from the building toward another roof-top, this one with a sloped opening and various boxes standing on it. He guessed that's where he had to go next.

He dashed down there and jumped to the next building, landing in a crouch on the slope. He walked up to the flat surface of the roof. _Okay…what did the runners do after this…right._

He turned around, and ran down the slope, and jumped to the next roof top. This roof had a fence and a large set of boxes. Altair remembered the runners jumping the fence…and decided to jump the boxes instead.

He quickly climbed the largest box, and jumped off onto the other side. Not losing momentum, he kept on moving, running on the wall that was built between two buildings, step-jumped from the vent that was to low to slide under and ran through the small, indoor corridor that looked like the door was bashed in…repeatedly.

At the end, he saw a metal long metal tube that stretched between two roof tops, the one Altair was on, and the one he needed to get to. And really, this perhaps was the easiest thing he was going to do all day.

Altair smirked as he quickly and easily crossed the pipe, never even in danger of losing his balance.

On the other side, he climbed up to the next level, putting his foot in the window frame as he did so. Then he ascended the yellow staircase.

_I'm guessing I have to swing from that bar to the pipes attached to the wall of that building over there?_ Altair took a couple of steps back. _Seems easy enough…_

Then he took off. Using a running jump, he grabbed the bar that hung out under a series of fans, then let go, using to momentum to get to the pipes. He climbed up one, jumped to the other and climbed up that one, then jumped to the railing that was just to the left.

Ascending that, he stepped over a box that was in his way. As he did, he saw that the railing ended with a box, and saw that his destination was actually the roof above, and that was blocked by a fence with a single gap in it…and the gap was over a railing-less part of the building, grabbed the concrete ledge and shimmied to the gap and climbed up.

More boxes on this roof top, but this time there was a wall, and a ledge. He remembered briefly that the Runners took a couple of steps on the wall and rebounded off of it to the ledge.

Altair took a running start to the wall. He took one step…two…when the first foot slipped. Alarmed, he pushed off the wall with his remaining foot and managed…barely…to grab the ledge. _I almost slipped…wow. That hasn't happened in _how_ long?_

He climbed up the ledge, then to the roof, and shimmied by the wall on the small, concrete ledge sticking out between on level of windows and another.

Once he got to the end, he saw a ram that led to a pole with a long, long rope strung tightly tied to it.

"Okay." Once again, Slicer appeared out of no where. "You gotta slide down the rope-thing and get to the other side."

"How do you keep doing that?" Altair asked, annoyed. "And if you can do everything I can do, why don't you do whatever you want me to do yourself?"

"I can appear wherever I want to." Slicer seemed a bit smug, and then his expression dimmed. "_And_ the reason I have you here, is I _can't_ kill the leaders myself. I…can't do it. I've tried. Trust me. So you're here to do what I can't, okay?"

"Fine." Altair, walked up the ramp and under the rope. He looked at his hands, and saw that he had gloves on. Black and covered with white pads, they were sure to prevent rope burn. _No rope burn? Good, I hate that._

"And when you're sliding down, be sure to let go when you're going to land on the soft area…that's that tarped over block thing on that building over there…otherwise, you'll break your legs." Slicer called up. _I'll be sure to do that…_

He slid down the rope with a gentle ease, like a bird flying through the air. Letting go, though, he almost missed the mark. Almost.

_It's really getting easier to tell where the runner's want you to go in this course…follow the ramps. _Altair thought as he examined the roof. There was a large, wide steel ramp leading up to another large, raised-up part of the building.

Then, he ran up the ramp, jumped the barbed wire, and ran forward across the ramp, and leaped. It was then he realized where his target was: nearly two stories down. _Oh, no…I'll have to roll to shrug off the impact…_

Thankfully, he timed it just right, and rolled off the impact. He was panting now. _Whew…that was close._

There was a… 'Fire escape' (as Slicer called it) around the other two-thirds of the building, which was raised two three stories up. And there was a ladder that led up to the escape, but that had to be leapt to from the box that was so conveniently placed in front of the raised ladder. _And to complete my work-out…_

He leapt from the box to the ladder in a step-jump for which he was so famous for, and climbed the ladder. Then he climbed up to the roof, and there was Slicer…standing in the middle. _How does he do that? Does _he_ have a piece of Eden? And if he does, then how do I get it from him?_

"Alright, you certainly are as good as I think you are." He was grinning and his mouth was filled with crooked teeth. He might've remembered this, as he stopped smiling quickly. "Alright, we gotta get to my hideout, and then we have to set you up for your first mark."

"Hideout?" _Of course he has a hideout. He's planning a rebellion, so he has to have a secret Headquarters…and that's where I'll be staying for the next few months, probably._

"Yeah, some place at the edge of town. Not much traffic official traffic there, but plenty of Runners." Slicer walked over to the lone door on the roof. "Also, during your stay, I would like you to use your 'hide in plain sight' abilities more than your running skills. Specifically near the hideout."

"Why?" Altair asked as he began to walk down the stairs with his new employer.

"It would be bad if the Government were to catch you before we're ready. Worse if the Runners _find out_ about you." Slicer answered quickly. "If the Government were to catch you, you'd be arrested. I'd quickly get you out, but you would be of no use to _me_ after that. If the Runners find out about you, they'll try to stop you, because of your…skills…they'd be afraid that if you started killing people at high levels, the cops would come after the Runners because the _Assassin_ is so clearly a _Runner_ (in their eyes). We don't need that kind of opposition."

Altair was silent after that. _So he thinks ahead like that…he clearly has some understanding of human nature. Is he even a teenager, since he thinks ahead like that? Then he has to have a Piece of Eden. Has to. It's really the only way. As for the Runners…they intrigue me, somewhat. _"Speaking of whom, are we going to see the Runners again?"

"Yep." Slicer's tone indicated that he was annoyed at the thought. "Weather I like it or not, The Runners are the _numero_ _uno_ information couriers in the country. I have other people working on the information on your marks, but there's no way to get it to my hideout electronically, _so…_We hire the Runners."

"I see." Altair responded, as neutrally as he could.

"Speaking of getting _caught_…" Slicer said, almost like an afterthought that had just occurred to him. It probably just did. "We should just be quite until we get to the hideout. People might report us and that'd be _bad_."

_So he catches on…_Altair thought, a little irritated. _I would've warned him myself if I wasn't to busy trying to figure out weather or not he has a piece of Eden. Some leader…_

"Anyway, I'll flag a taxi. Really shouldn't be talking until we get to the hideout…" Slicer stuck his hand out for one of the yellow blocks. "Taxi!" One stopped. Slicer opened a door, and climbed in.

Altair shrugged and climbed in with him.

"To the corner of _4__th_ and _Blake_, please." Slicer than slowly and deliberately grabbed a strap from the back of the seat, and slid it into a small, square-think in the middle of the seats, where it settled with a _click_.

Altair tried to copy the same, slow motion…but the belt was stuck. He pulled harder…still stuck. He found himself pulling as hard as he could and as rapidly as he could. No luck.

"Hey buddy, you need help there?" Asked the driver, whose face was clean cut, his face round and he was smoking a cigar…and the falseness of his sincerity was apparent…but Altair guessed he was just that way for his job.

Slicer was very, _very_ close to laughing, so Altair guessed.

"No, I got this." Altair said through gritted teeth. He rubbed his hands together, determined to make the belt move, and gave one final sharp tug. The thing came out so quickly, one might've thought it was never stuck.

Altair hit the back of the drivers chair with a resounding _thud_. He got up quickly, and placed the buckle in its holster…but it didn't stick. Altair tried again…and it refused to click in place.

"You have the buckle backwards." Slicer was barely holding back his giggles at this point.

_Oh, really…_Altair scowled as he untwisted the buckle strap and slid it into the holster. _This_ time is stuck with a satisfying click.

"Drive on please." Slicer was grinning. Then he couldn't hold it anymore and burst out laughing, all while Altair was glaring daggers at him.

After Altair was done glaring (and Slicer stopped laughing) he looked outside the window. He saw the buildings (who were all rather dominated by primary colors…he hadn't noticed before) zoom past him.

He began to scratch at the shoulder strap. _Gah, this thing itches._

It didn't take long...Altair was actually impressed, with the size of the city that something could move that fast…even he would have troubles crossing the city this big.

"We're lucky there weren't any red lights…" Slicer said, walking up to the building the 'taxi' stopped at while the yellow block drove away. "That trip would've taken forever."

"I suppose you had a little hand in that?" Altair asked, half joking, half suspicious.

"Well…let's just get inside, shall we?" Slicer shrugged off the question, and began strutting off to the buildings door.

Inside, the lobby of what Altair guessed was an Inn, was really only made up of the color white. There were white tiles, a white stair-case tucked away in the corner, with a pair of heavy looking steel doors right beside them. There was also a large, curved desk that shined in the sun-light…and was also white. Altair had a vague urge to squint.

The only actual color in the room was the color of the receptionists outfit. An older woman, with her red, grungy hair tied up in a bun, had a bright blue uniform and a yellow apron.

"Hey Marge, how are you doing?" Slicer asked with a good spark of cheerfulness.

"I'm fine…" She replied with a bored tone of voice as she chewed on the end of a…little stick thing. It was yellow, with a spot of pink on the end, and dark brown and black on the other. She was holding a small bundle of brunched up white paper with black ink all over it. "Kid, what's a five letter word for _planet_?

"Uhh…_world_?" Slicer answered with a shrug. Either he wasn't sure, or he was trying to be polite.

She began counting on her fingers for about ten seconds. She seemed a bit happier after that as she began using the stick she was chewing on to write on the paper. "Thanks kid."

"Don't mention it…" Slicer smiled back.

"What's that thing she's chewing on?" Altair asked quietly as they passed the receptionist.

"A pencil…" Slicer answered just as quietly. "We usually use it to write stuff on paper, but some people chew on the eraser."

"Why?" Altair asked, a little louder now as they began climbing the stair case.

"I don't know…habit?"

"And how do those…what did you call them…cars?" Altair now talking in full volume, since they were away from prying eyes and ears. "How do they work?"

"They run on an engine." Slicer answered. He seemed somewhat pleased with Altair's curiosity. "I'll get you a book or something that explains the whole thing."

"A book?" Altair seemed impressed. "Books are very expensive you know…"

"Actually, times have changed since your time (obviously). We have better ways of…writing the books down. Very fast and efficient." Slicer answered as he turned round a bend in the stair case. "I'll get you a book on that too."

"Really?" Altair was very surprised now. Back home, books took _hours_ upon _hours_ to make even a single page. _That's…incredible. How would a book be written and scribed any faster than that?_

It was then that Slicer stopped at a door. He fumbled around in his jacket pockets for something…and then he reached into his back pocket. In his hand was a key-ring with many keys strung on it. A few seconds later, the door sprung open, revealing what Altair believed to be, Slicer's home.

And what a home it was.

On the left of the landing was a book case. It was rather small by the standards his master usually kept his books on, but it was sufficient enough. There were many books on it, from what Altair could read…_The Strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde_ and _Physics for Dummies_ were only a few that he identified.

It occurred to Altair that the books were not organized in any way that he could see.

Another droop in the center and a little to the left of the room was a large, curved sofa, with a smaller stool in the center of the pressed in space. On the wall in front of the couches, was a large, rectangular box, a large portion of it a black-mirror type thing. On the sides were grills, but he wasn't sure what the device was.

On the right side of the room was the kitchen, blocked off partially by a wall, with a large window-space looking out into the living room.

The carpets were a breath of fresh air for Altair. They were stylized after the stars in the night sky, dark and bright perfectly contrasted, as opposed to the drab (though if the colors were missing not un-familiar) colors of the city.

"First things first." Slicer was in the kitchen crouched in front of a large, steel cabinet, grabbing various articles of…food? _Is that food? Good, I'm famished! I feel like I haven't had a decent meal in a week!_

He pushed a bowl of fruit on the bar that sat at the bottom of the window to the kitchen, and Altair sat on one of the stools in front of the bowl. He was only waiting until Slicer said he could…

"Well, what are you waiting for? Eat!" Slicer ordered. Altair then proceeded to eat as quickly and as dignified as he could, but the cold fruit that was presented was providing a little challenge. "We have to meet the Runners in ten minutes…they have information on your first two marks."

_Ah…that would explain the hurry…_Altair then finished an entire portion of grape-vine in a single bite. Then ate a pear, and grabbed a fruit he hasn't ever seen before: An apple for the trip. "Let's go now. We can finish this bowl later."

"Okay." Slicer grabbed the bowl and stuffed it into the steel cabinet again, and slapped his hands together softly. "Let's go, we're meeting on the roof top...and be careful not to eat the core of that. It could choke you…"

_Noted…_ "Let's go."

Slicer shrugged and led the way out of his apartment. Locking the door behind him, he began running up the stair-case. _Okay, he __**really**__ doesn't want to be late…_

Altair ran ahead of him, using his free-running expertise to get to the top much faster than Slicer did. He was waiting for him at the top door, tapping his foot impatiently. "Slicer, you should _try_ to keep up once in a while…I thought you could appear where ever you wanted."

"_Showoff_…" Slicer grumbled as he opened the door. The sunset showed brightly, reflecting off the steel whatever's that were on the roof as it rapidly descended. "Come on, we have to hide... quickly."

"Why?"

"I want to meet the Runner. I won't get a chance after this…and he/she won't come near the rooftop until we disappear…"

The two quickly hid in a dark shadow, impossible to see. In the distance, Altair could make out the lone figure of someone jumping and climbing over the roof tops. Sliding down a near-by crane, she landed on the roof-top.

The Runner was a woman, about a head shorter than Altair. She had short black hair and brown eyes. A spiked tattoo decorated her right eye, as well as angular tattoos that decorated her upper arm. She wore a red, fingerless glove on her right hand. The rest of her outfit, the black shirt that showed her bare arms and her neck, with the loose light-brown pants reminded him of one of the Runners he saw practicing earlier today…the only difference being the yellow pack she wore on her back.

In fact, Altair realized, she _was _one of the runners he saw practicing earlier today.

Her red shoes were rather unique, a small split occurring right between her index toe and middle toe. The muscles on her arms and the rest of her body that he was able to make out meant she was a very competent acrobat. _I'm actually somewhat impressed..._

She looked around, a little confused. _Were we supposed to leave something?_

"You have the package?" Slicer asked, his voice flat and cold…almost like a blade as he stepped out of the shadow. Altair quickly followed, crossing his arms.

"You have the money?" The Runner asked, with her voice just as cold with her eyebrow raising…her eyes darted between Slicer (who must've looked just a kid to her) and to Altair…her eyes stayed on him for a couple of seconds, examining his face…and then to his lost finger…and then back to Slicer.

In response to her question, Slicer unzipped his jacket and pulled a large pack of his own from a hidden pocket inside. He threw it to the woman, who caught it and examined the contents. After a few seconds, she un-shouldered the pack and threw it to Slicer.

"Pleasure doing business with you, Ms…" Slicer opened the pack, taking out a pair of brown parcels that looked stuck shut.

"Faith. Call me Faith." She…'Faith' responded, sounding still cold…somewhat distant…and a little unsettled.

Altair's eyebrow rose as he appraised her actions. _Either she is very professional…or she's lost all sense of emotion…I would normally go with the former, but the climate Slicer said this city…this nation is in has me wondering…_

Faith looked once more at Altair, then back to Slicer. "So our business is done?"

"It is. Thank you for these…they'll come mighty handy." Slicer replied, and then turned around for the door. "C'mon Altair. We got stuff to discuss."

Altair took one last look at the Runner…who was looking right back. _She's smart from what I can see…I wonder…_He turned around and followed Slicer, closing the door as he did.

* * *

_Well, you see one up-start, you've seen them all._ Faith thought, shaking her head and sighing. _But doesn't he know that you aren't supposed to meet the runner…just leave the money, and we leave the info. Plain and simple. And what is that kid thinking, putting himself in danger like that? And that other guy…Altair…what is __**he**__ thinking, getting involved in the kid's insane dreams? I mean…hello! Smarter people than you tried to take over the government, like you are trying, and they've all failed! _

Faith sighed again, this time running now. She had to get back to Kate with the cash, quickly. She also wanted to get out as quickly as possible…last time she was spotted by a News helicopter…

She would've shuddered if she wasn't mid leap to another building. Tumbling on the roof, she kept running and jumped on a pipe that was sticking out of two buildings. Balancing herself, she walked ahead.

_I mean…hello? He's a _kid_. I can respect wanting to overthrow the government, but at _that_ age? He'd have more luck trying to find a girlfriend. _Now on the rooftop, she looked ahead for another rout…and found it in the form of a wall with flag-poles sticking out of it. She jumped to the first poll…then swung from it to the second…and from that to the third…and then she landed on the opposite rooftop. _And that _guy_. Altair. Having the nerve of _checking me out_ like that! Just…just…ugh! And what the heck is he thinking, working for that kid, anyway? Is he insane? Is he just really stupid? I mean, the guy has to have _some _experience…missing his finger like that…_

She ran to the left side, jumping the fence in her way and rolling on the floor upon landing. _You know, I kinda wish I could pound some sense into the both of them…_

"Hey, sis. How'd it go?" Came Kate off her ear piece. Kate was Faith's sister, and _was_ a Blue…at least until she was framed for murder. Celeste…Faith's old friend had framed her.

"Where'd you go?" Faith asked as she jumped to a bundle of steel girders that were hanging from a nearby crane.

"Bathroom. Root Beer goes right through you." Kate answered nonchalantly. "Now…answer my question: How'd it go?"

"The client was a teenager." Faith replied, having cleared two more buildings. "Those idiot's are going to get them selves killed."

"Wait…you met the client? Is that how things normally go?" Kate asked, sounding a bit confused…"

"Not usually, no." Faith replied.

Kate just sighed. "I'll let him know that we won't be servicing him any more…wait you said he was a Teenager?"

"Yep."

"Well, that would help explain the idiocy…and you said there were more of them? Who else was there?"

"Just a guy. Muscles. Tall… must be his body guard or something. He has to be an idiot to be working with the kid." Faith answered, jumping from an air-conditioning unit on top of a roof top to a ladder.

"Well, just get back to base. I'll see what I can do about the kid." Kate said, sighing again. "Maybe I can stop him before he tries to carry out whatever he's got planned."

"I hope you can." Faith replied wearily. Now she was sliding down a steep stone overhang, right outside a skyscraper. She was almost back to base. "And see what you can dig up about that other guy."

"Can you gimme a better description?" Kate asked. Faith could here the clatter of fingers typing on a keyboard over her earpiece.

"He had brown eyes, black hair. He has a small mustache and a soul patch that's a little bit thicker. His names Altair." Faith described as she jumped from the bottom of the ramp to a building, landing on the large, raised portion of it. Then she remembered something else. "He is also missing his left ring finger."

She could see the large industrial fan that housed the Runners head-quarters atop another building. It was disguised as such so the blues wouldn't find them while they were sleeping. She was almost home, she just had to cross an intersection and then she was home free. Faith began climbing down the building, but stopped midway.

Smirking, she leapt to the streetlamp, and after climbing that, stood up on the end. She walked over to the middle of the end-rod of the lamp, and jumped in the direction of the building. _Almost there…I gotta eat when I get home, I'm starving._

She landed on the sidewalk, rolling on impact to avoid breaking her legs and kept going. Jumping the fence, she was now almost back at Headquarters.

_Hello slice o' pizza!_ Faith was very happy now. Scaling the building's fire-escape, she saw the 'fan' that also served as her home... It barely stood over seven feet tall, and looked exactly like the _actual_ fan on it's left side so it wouldn't be spotted by the 'Blues' and the copters they usually bring along.

She jumped up to the roof. She looked around for a second…_Where's the door…Ah!_ She spotted a man-hole cover on the top. She removed the cover, and dropped in. She was back at headquarters.

Kate was sitting at the computer terminal, facing away from the 'front door'. It was easy to see the various search engines that were running on it's many monitors. The lone T.V was switched to one of the '_news_' stations…which were currently blasting propaganda…as always.

"And in _Election News_…" The Anchorwoman, whose blonde hair came down to her neck and wore a black business suit, straitened her papers before continuing.

_Here we go…_Faith thought, shaking her head, looking down at the floor. _This guy won by a landslide! It's a miracle! The people have spoken…It got very old, very quick, sister. It didn't help that the __**opponent**__ was assassinated…but of course __**that**__ didn't make the news…_

She sighed. "So what were you able to dig up?"

Kate turned to look at her, turning off the T.V as he did so. "Nothing so far. It's almost like he…appeared out of no-where…are you sure you got the name right?"

"That's what the kid called him…you think it's an assumed name?" Faith asked, even though she already knew the answer.

"Has too be… Only other answer is that he appeared out of thin air." Kate answered, taking a swig out of a can of Root Beer. How she managed to get a hold of a can in this day and age, Faith had a feeling she'd never know.

"Keep trying, will you?" Faith requested before turning in the direction of the kitchen. "_I _gotta go eat something before I collapse…any pizza left?"

"Yeah, I think there's some Pepperoni left…" Kate answered, clattering away at his key board.

_Score!_ Faith thought as she started down the ladder to the kitchen. HQ, you see, had three levels. Level one was computer, front room, exit and the computer. Level two was kitchen, and three was living quarters for Faith and a couple of other runners.

And the kitchen was home to a stove, several tables, each with four seats, a sink, a dishwasher, a Microwave and a fridge…which currently contained Faith's heart's desire: Pepperoni Pizza.

_Ah, there you are…four golden slices of triangular heaven left…just for me. _Faith inspected the brown cardboard pizza box, its lid flipped open. She grabbed a plate from the cupboard, slid all four pieces on, and put the plate in the microwave. She set it for two minutes, and watched as her dinner baked in the white, plastic box.

"Hey, Faith. What'cha got there?" Came a familiar voice from behind her Turning around, Faith saw Taylor. Taylor was bald, had dark skin and wore a tight, red T-shirt. He was one of the runner's whose contact had gotten compromised. He was staying here for now, until he could find a new home…along with Lance and Zach.

"Pizza." Faith went back to watching her pieces spin in the microwave. Her stomach grumbled in anticipation.

"Can I have a piece?" Taylor asked in a polite voice, his hands folded together in some sort of saintly fashion.

"Sure…" Faith sighed. _Guess I won't be getting the whole thing, will I? _"Grab a plate."

"Thanks, Faith." Taylor said in his normal, deep and hearty tone, grabbing another plate from the cupboard. "What kind is there?"

"Just Pepperoni." Faith answered as the timer on the microwave ran out and it beeped. She opened the door to the smell of sweet, sweet pizza. Faith took two pieces, and Taylor took the other two.

Faith took a bite out of one of the slices as she sat down at one of the tables, Taylor sitting across from her.

"So how'd the job go?" Taylor asked between bites.

_Here we go…_Faith thought wearily. "The client met me."

Taylor began gagging. His face was almost funny, and would've been if the matter weren't so…severe. "Wh-ha-hat?" He choked out. "You met a client? How the he-"

"He waited until I was on the rooftop, then threw me the money bag and asked if I had what he ordered." Faith shook her head. "The only thing that stopped me from taking him out _right there_ was that he was a _teenager_. Idiot's gonna get himself killed _anyway_ I figured, so..."

"He's a _teenager_?" Taylor looked shocked too. Naturally, she was surprised: Teenager's can't afford Runners. Not normally.

"And there was another guy there…he was an adult, no question." Faith continued. "He was _checking me out_. Grrr…the nerve of that guy…I almost killed him but the kid got him out of there to fast for me to do that."

At this, Taylor laughed. "He was checking you out? And you didn't deck him…? Does that mean _I _can-"

"I told you: The kid got him downstairs to fast for me to do that or I would've." Faith replied coolly, taking another bite. "And if I catch _you _staring, I'll deck you faster than you can blink.

"Okay, okay! Sorry I asked…" His expression was a bizarre mix of fear and mirth as he put his hands in front of him in a strange kind of shield. "Still…did you tell Kate that the Client's a Teenager?"

"Yeah." _You don't think maybe She's gonna tell me to…_

"Merc would probably tell you to go after them and take the info away…ask you to get the kid to see reason…dissuade him from trying until he's a few years older or something." Taylor said, taking a final bite. "That's what I think, anyway, from what I know of the man."

"I'd probably do it anyway if I knew where he lived…" Faith replied, taking her last bite of pizza. The _kids an idiot and the guys a jerk…what are the odds of those two finding each other?_

"Hey Faith! Get up here really quick, will you?" Kate's popped down the man-hole to the front room.

"Sure, Sis." Faith answered, standing up. She climbed up the ladder, and looked to see Kate. She had turned her chair to face her, her arms were crossed.

"Alright…we got nothing on the guy. Absolutely _nothing_. There's only three people with that name in Tri-state area, and _none_ of them match the profile you described, so…" Kate left that last part hanging.

"It's assumed." Faith finished for her. _Blast. That means we won't be any closer to getting at the kid…apparently he's smarter than we thought…_

"Right. The image profile turned nothing up as well…What'd the kid look like?" Kate asked, turning her chair back to the computer. "Do you have a name?"

"No. I didn't think to ask." Faith replied. She leaned in toward the computer screen over Kate's chair. "I have a facial though."

"Alright…" Kate pulled up a facial search program. "Gimme the details."

"His face is slightly round…he's got an angled nose…his eyes were spaced evenly but he had low eyebrows." Faith recounted to Kate, who was putting the details on the engine. The 3D facial that was being constructed changing to meet Faith's specifications.

"Eye color?"

"I didn't see exactly." Faith admitted. "They looked brown though."

"Brown…" The face that Kate was putting together looked roughly similar to the face of the kid. The addition of the brown eyes helped a bit with that…now it just needed hair…

"What color was his hair?"

"Also brown. It was cut short too…" Faith replied, her eyes unmoving from the computer screen as the face on it magically grew hair. "That's all I got."

"Okay…" Kate ran it through the search engine. After a couple of seconds of loading…there was over four results posted. _Four! We've lucked out for the first time on these idiots!_

"Alright…95% percent image match." Kate pulled up the first image…which was the portrait of the kid. He was wearing the jacket at the time of the shoot too, apparently.

"That's him." Faith said quickly.

"Alright, let's see what we got…19 years old? He's fifteen at _least_…Say's he lives at the apartment building…at the corner of _4__th_ and _Blake_. Wasn't that were he was supposed to leave the money at? He _lives _there…?"

Faith was just as surprised. _Hold on…he lives there? Where I was supposed to put the info for the cash? Either that's huge coincidence…or he moved there shortly after placing the order…is he nuts?_

"Alright, you know what to do, then." Kate turned his chair around. "Find the info, and return the money. Simple as that."

"Right…" Faith grabbed the bag out of the corner.

"And Fait…Please be careful." Kate told her sister from her chair.

"I will." Faith answered as she checked the money pack still on her back. She jumped up the ladder and moving the man-hole cover. Now outside in the night sky, Faith kicked the cover back into place.

"Alright Faith, just head on back to the place you met the two idiot's and switch the bags. Its night time now, so be careful…things are a bit trickier at night, and my former co-workers usually have copters out at this time…just…what was it…_go with the flow_, and you'll be okay." Kate sounded like she was really trying to remember that phrase through her ear piece as Faith took off running. "Also, after this, you'll need to lay low for a couple months…so the kid and his partner can forget what you look like."

"Understood." Faith replied, gritting her teeth. She hated laying low. It just meant the only things she'd be able to do would be repetitive exercises like push-ups and sit-ups…or maybe running the training course if she was lucky. _Dang you kid! Why'd you have to do this…just a month of freedom after my accident…during which I was under regular attack by blues…and now after _I_ save your hide, I'm grounded…and you're not even going to be grateful. This just _blows_…_

Jumping from a built on ramp to another roof, the trip began. She climbed a pipe up to another roof top, and then jumped up the air conditioning units atop, rebounding off of another and tumbling down.

She jumped to a small bar hanging down and swung to the fire escape on the other side. Looking up, she run up the wall to the ceiling. _Now where is that pipe…there!_

She ran over and began walking across a pipe that stretched between two buildings. She balanced herself well, and soon she was on the other side. Now she was running on the top of the overhang, and she vaulted over to the next building, which was nearly two stories down.

She landed on an entrance to a staircase down, and rolled the impact off. She went off and landed on her feet and kept running. She leaped off the building to a fire escape on the other side.

She climbed up to the roof, and jumped the fence that barred her way…on the other side was the crane she used to access the building's rooftop._ Almost there…_

_You know, I'm really not against someone going against the government. I'm really not…_ Faith thought as she jumped over to the crane and began sliding down. _Just…kid…you gotta wait a few more years…wait until after you explore all your options…then you can go try to get yourself killed._

She was on the roof now. "'Kay, Kate. I'm there."

"Alright, he lives on the ninth floor…his rooms got a big door, which doesn't have a lock so you're in." Kate explained off the ear piece.

"Got it." Faith began climbing down the building. She counted the floors as she did... "11nth floor…10th…9… Here we go…"

She was as quiet as she could be as she opened the door. Inside, she saw the kitchen…the front room with a big screen T.V… a couple of doors beside the entrance to the kitchen…no folders, no pack, no _nothing_. Place was neat and tidy. Not even a spec of dust anywhere. _Kid likes it clean, doesn't he?_

"Alright, you're in. See anything?" Kate asked.

"Nope. Nothing." Faith sighed.

"Alright, well keep searching." Kate said, sounding somewhat exhausted. "And get out of there quick, there's cops searching the area…and getting kinda trigger happy."

"Why's that?" Faith asked, edging away from the open glass door as quietly as she could.

"Because there was a break-in two days ago…the 'new' mayor's office…" Kate explained. "The only reason he knows there was a break in was because Taylor forgot to shut the vent on the way out."

"Why was Taylor breaking in?"

"To get info…that the current resident of the apartment you're searching bought."

"Right…" Faith started looking around, not bothering with the light switch because the kid was probably in the apartment, and turning on the light would bring him in…she could probably handle him and his _bodyguard_…but Runners do things without being seen, so that meant no light.

_Let's see…not on the couch…or under the cushions…not behind the T.V...Where are they?_ Faith thought as she looked under the stool. Nothing. She looked in the kitchen, in the fridge, the freezer, nothing. Nothing in the cupboards aside from dishes and frying pans (which were very neatly organized). _This is starting to get weird. _No _teen is this organized. And I still can't find the folders. _

Faith pried open a door…inside was what Faith _guessed_ was the kid, asleep on a single bed, his breathing body underneath several layers of sheets… No sign of Altair, though. Faith decided to check that room last.

Prying open one of the other doors, she saw that it was a closet…that was entirely empty. _Some things weird, here…you'd think the only closet in the house would have some spare…unless there's one in the bedroom…and I'm checking that room last._

She threw caution to the wind and simply threw open the next door. This was a bathroom. A sink sat on the left, next to a toilet. A shower-bath occupied the end and a towel rack clung to the right side of the wall, no less than four big towels occupying the rack.

She checked the cupboards beneath the sink… She even checked inside the showerhead. Nothing. No cleaning supplies under the sink, no folders hidden in the shower. _Holy crap! Still nothing!_

At this point, Faith knew it was unavoidable: She would have to check the bedroom.

Faith sighed. This was going to be difficult…or not, if she was quiet. She carefully pried the door open…but it still made a loud squeak. She cringed, but the boy slept on.

Faith edged into the room. Inside was the bed, the person sleeping on it…a nightstand sitting beside it with a digital clock on top, beaming its red, digital letters boldly through the darkness. 1:42 it read.

But nothing else. No closet, no other bathroom, no _nothing_! _Okay, _now_ things are getting very weird. Some very tools are missing from this apartment to make it as neat as he does. And not just that, but also spare clothes, and other things like that! The only thing that's even _stocked _normally is the fridge and freezer! The rest of the kitchen way to organized!_ "Kate? You there?" Faith asked as she re-entered the balcony.

"I'm here. You got the file?" Kate asked with anticipation.

"No. I couldn't find it. Kate, some things weird here." Faith relayed her findings about the apartment, from the missing supplies to the entirely clean apartment.

"Okay, Faith. Something _is_ a little weird, here." Kate responded calmly. "He might just have a maid come in to clean the place though…and he might have an organization fetish…the lack of stuff to clean his bathroom with and spare clothes are weird though."

"But Kate…" Faith began, but was cut off.

"Faith, you gotta come back to base. You can try again tomorrow night." Kate said. "And you're human, Faith. You need sleep."

"Fine." Faith sounded defeated. She only hoped that the kid wouldn't try whatever he was planning tomorrow. _You'll just get caught…and probably killed…I-oh, crap!_

Faith quickly leapt back inside, dodging behind a couch as she did so. Just in time, as well, a search-light swept through the window. The Blues were here. _Come on…just keep flying…nothing to see here, just a Runner trying to stop a kid from doing stupid stuff…come on…_

But her hopes would be in vain, as she heard the quick noise of people sliding down ropes onto the balcony. _Ah, that _sucks_._

"Alright, guys. What do you think? The guy (or gal) who lives here accidentally leaves the balcony door open, or do you figure a break-in?" Came a mechanically toned voice from one blue from the balcony. Faith carefully edged out of the light and to a spot where she could hide a bit better.

"I'm thinking an accident." Came another voice, a bit lighter than the last. "Nothings been touched, see? The TV's still there, the 'mote's still there…"

"Yeah, I see what you mean…" The first voice said. "Alright, let's just close the door, then, shall we?"

There was the sound of a door being slid shut, and the spot-light quickly disappeared. Faith let out a big sigh of relief. _That was close…ooh, boy…_ She continued to breathe very hard for a few minutes, almost to make sure they were gone.

"That was very close, Faith." Kate let out a sigh of relief also. "And look, they were nice enough to shut the door for the kid. I wonder if he knows how _lucky_ he is." That last part was said with a little bit of sarcasm.

"Let's just get me back to base, please." Faith wiped the few drops of sweat that had formed on her brow, before walking up from her hiding place and sliding open the door. She scaled the building back to the roof, and began running.

_That was just nuts. Just plain nuts…I go over there, try to find some info that I sold him (I shouldn't have even _met _him) and not only can I not find it, I can't find most things that should be in a home either! _Faith thought as she jumped to the next building. _I mean, sure _I _wear the same outfit everyday, but at least I have more than one set! Just…just…gah! This whole thing would make sense if his apartment was a wreck, with barely more than a bed and a couple of things in the fridge…but no…he had a _big screen TV _in his living room. His bathroom was spotless, despite having no cleaning equipment…oh, _no_…_

On the rooftop…right in front of her, with his flashlight on, illuminating her in the darkness, was a blue. He was armored with what looked like plate covered Kevlar…and he was holding a pistol.

It took him a second to comprehend who had just stepped into his flashlight beam. "Freeze!" He finally yelled, but it was already too late.

Faith had jumped at him, grabbing his pistol and elbowing his arm away, then back handing him in the face (which hurt a bit, since the Blue was wearing a face-plate). The blue was sent sprawling onto the floor, colliding into the door to the down stairs with a loud _bang!_

Suddenly, there was more banging, and the door was propped open against the fallen Blue…revealing more blues. The one in front had a machine gun. _Crap!_

"Get outta there!" Kate yelled in her earpiece. _As if I needed to be told._

Faith took off running, with bullets zinging past her. She quickly jumped on the hanging group of steel girders from before, still running.

_Well, crap…there goes my any chance of getting out within the next year…_Faith thought irritably as she jumped to the next building, drop kicking another Blue in the process. _I've been chased _enough _this year, thank you…this non-stop 'being chased by Blues' is driving me crazy._

She jumped and began swung from a series of flag-poles in rapid succession, getting to the other side in record time, and began walking as fast as she could without losing her balance down a pipe between buildings. _Please let there be no choppers…_

She jumped up to a fire-escape ladder from an air-conditioner and _climbed_. Quickly getting to the uppermost part of the building, she could see the bunker…_Home sweet home…just gotta get there._

Faith began descending the building quickly, and she only got faster as she heard the sound of sirens in the distance getting closer.

"Hurry, Faith. You're almost there." Kate tried to be calm, but it was easy to hear the anxiety in her voice.

She jumped to a lamp-post and swung to the other side. Totally on autopilot at this point, Faith jumped the fence and began climbing the fire escape. She could hear the sirens very close now…probably just a block away, now.

She jumped up to the bunker, lifted the man-hole cover, and jumped down into the base. Taylor's bald head and Kate's dark hair were both hunched over the computer screens. They both turned around at once.

"You made it!" Kate exclaimed, sighing in relief.

"That was close. You okay?" Taylor asked, relief showing visibly on his face.

"I'm fine." Faith replied. "So, am I still allowed out of my room, or am I grounded for life?"

Kate just laughed. "Very funny…but just to be safe, I'm asking you to lay low for a while…you can still go to the training grounds if you want…You can give me a few more lesson's, too!

_Crap…training grounds…it's better than nothing, I suppose…And Kate probably is having trouble with wall-running again… _Faith sighed. "Yeah, I guess…"

"Cheer up Faith…You got the week off!" Taylor tried to comfort Faith, but to little effect. Faith rolled her eyes.

"Taylor, do I look like I want a week off?" Faith demanded of her friend.

"Faith, come on…some optimism would be nice…" Taylor replied, with a half-smile.

Faith rolled her eyes again, and sulked down to her bedroom on the bottom floor. _It's going to be a loooong week._

* * *

_Author's Notes: Well, this is a bind I've worked myself into, haven't I? Here's a couple things I want to lay out in front of you right now._

_#1: If anyone is out of character, tell me in a review. _I want to know what you think_. If Faith is out of character, I wouldn't be surprised: I haven't played the game and am forced to rely on what little cut scenes I could find. If Altair is out of character (I desperately hope not), once again, _tell me_. In a review, if you please._

_#2: The government system that appears to have taken over the nation/city (I'm going with Nation) seems to be, from what I can tell, in the same boat as the Soviet Union, or Nazi Germany...so I shall be writing about them as such…with (since Edge City is still in America…I think) there shall be little twists to fit the actual flavor of Americana…no Nazi nations are alike, you see._

_#3: I am a Neo-Conservative. My personal view on politics' is extremely far to the Right. Now, you can hold that against me and not read my fic any further. That's fine. You could also use this as an opportunity to see how Right-Wingers (at least ME) see the world of politics. Also: I am human, therefore, I am biased…but if you present a logical argument, I shall consider your side. (Heck, I might have one of the characters bring that point up if it's good.) I want to be as fair and objective as possible…and I can't do that unless you people pick my points and themes to death._

_#4: If you find there's something in the fic that you don't like (aside from my apparent Political Bias), please tell me! Really! I want to hear what you think! Also, Vice Versa: If you like my fic, or have a suggestion, I want to hear those too._

_#5: Last, but certainly not least, all politicians in this fic shall be entirely fictional. There will be no actual politicians in this fic, or any mentions. I just want to show my side of the aisle verses the other side of the aisle. I'm sure you know that Conservative's can take over the nation (and be complete fascist's about it), but the Liberal's can do the _same thing_. I want to show how that's possible._

_Neither side mean's any harm with their views (at least on the common people level), it's just possible to take them too far._

_R&R, people! Reviews make me write faster!_


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